Means for tying bottles together for stacking purposes, such as in displays



Nov. 23, 1937. A. A. MERRICK MEANS FOR TYING BOTTLES' TOGETHER FOR STACKING PURPOSES, SUCH AS IN DISPLAYS Filed July 28, 1936 if? 0 l7 awe/Wm ANSON A. MERE/CK I, l X

Patented Nov; 23, 1 937 MEANS FOR TYING PATENT OFFICE BOTTLES TOGETHER FOR STACKING PURPOSES, SUCH AS IN DISPLAYS Anson A. Merrick, Detroit, Mich., assignor to James Vernor Company, Detroit, Mich.

' Application July 28, 1936, Serial No. 93,094

3 Claims.

In .the preparation and arrangement of window displays featuring bottled goods, or bottles, it is often desired tostack them in forms which are novel and which will attract attention, such 1 as in the shape of pyramids. This has been accomplished in the past to some extent by the arrangement of a layer of standing bottles upon which is placed a sheet of glass, then placing an additional tier of standing bottles thereon, then another sheet of glass, and by thus repeating the process until the desired type of display has been constructed.

This process has not been entirely satisfactory because of the necessity for using glass, which is frequently broken, and there is also the hazard of some of the supporting bottles slipping and allowing the whole structure to fall, with possible injury to persons who are nearby as well as property loss resulting from the breaking or bursting of the bottles.

There appears to have been no substantial advance in the art involved in this method or means for arranging .suchclisplays, and consequently there has beenv resulting loss of attraction and advertising value, which further emphasizes the necessity for a new means and method for 'making displays such as that provided for by my invention, i I

Thegeneral purpose of my invention, therevso fore, is to provide a new and useful means and method for stacking bottles for display purposes, which will attract attention because of its novelty and provide for sturdy'construction.

'A further object of, my invention is to provide 135 for the stacking of bottles for display purposes ,Another object oftm'yinvention is to provide a means forrstacking bottles insuch' manner'as tov utilize to the "best advantage the available space for the display whether it be small, large, circular, rectangular, or of irregular shape.

Other objects of my invention are the providing of uniform means for making small or large displays, to 'provide'a means which is-economical incest and easily transported, and one which can be seen. only upon'clo'se examination of the "display and which therefore contributes greatly to arouse the curiosity and attract attention.

I attain these objects by themeans and method shojwnin the accompanying drawing, in which-f Figure 1 is an elevational view of the stack of bottles in which the supported bottle is in upright position, and showing the stack tying means comprised in my invention.

Figure 2 is an elevational view of a stack of Y5 bottles showing use of my invention, but in which the supported bottle is in inverted position. The stack tying means shown in Figures 1 and 2is shown with enlarged diameter, or thickness, for purposes of illustration. Figure 3 is a sectional view of the stack of bottles and stack. tying means on line 3-3 of-Figure 1.

- Figure 4 is a sectional view of the stack of hottles and stack tying means on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the stack of bottles and stack tying means on line 5- -5,of Figure 2. a 7,

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the bottle stack tying means shown in side elevation below line 33 in Figure 1 and below line 5-5 in Figure 2. Label or tag means secured -to thetying means is alsoshown. 'L

Figure 7 is a sectional View of the bottle stack tying means on lineJ- l of Figure .6, and shows the label or tag means aflixed to thestack tying means, 4

Figure 8 is a top plan view .of the bottle stack tying means shownin side elevation below the line 4-4 in Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the bottle stack tying means on line 9-9 of Figure 8.

' Figure 10 is a schematic view in elevation of a stack of bottles showing the use of my invention and including a combination of'either a plurality I of groups such as that shown in Figure l, a plu rality' of groups such as that illustratedin Figure 2, or a combination of the two types of groups illustrated inFigures 1 and 2. The stack tying :40 means is shown in enlarged diameter or thickness to better illustrate the details of its use and construction. g

Figure 11 is a sectional View of the loop members suchas those comprised in the stack tying means illustrated in Figure 8, with the body of the loop split for use double in the manner illustrated in Figure 10. i f V Figure 12is a sectional view'on line l2-l2 of Figure 11, showing the configuration of the split 5o 4 loop in enlarged form. t

Figure 13 is a section of the loop members such as are comprised in the stack tying means illustrated in Figure 6, with the loop split for use double in the manner illustrated in Figure 10." ,5;

of the stack tying means comprising my linvention, in varying forms.

One of the primary purposes of -ithe-rstacksshown in Figures 11 and 2 is .to provide a solid foundation for a pyramiding arrangement in the display. This is accomplished by arrange; ment of the pyramid with the stack illustrated in Figure l'or Figure 2 as a'un-it. Thus instead of each bottle in the foundation of the pyramid being a separate unit, a plurality of bottles are combined and tied together as a unit, which greatly increases thestrength ofthe foundation and eliminates the hazard of overturning or slipping such as would exist if th'ebo'ttles were used separately; 7 V

further explanation. of my invention, and referringtolFigures 1, 3, and- ?l, the three "bottles ;A ,"B, C, forming the foundation of the stack are arranged in the position shown, and the base, tie member I shown in Figure 8, which is of wire or other substantially rigid material, is so formed that the loops conform "to the curvature of the" b'ottle'wall in order that the base of each' bottle maybe inserted within aloop. 'The wire or other material of which the "tie is made must-be of sufficient strength to hold the bottles in position once they are placed therein and without likelihood of spreading at the base of the stack.

The toptie member 2 illustrated in Figure 6 is then placedin position over the tops and around the bottles near the base of the necks or on the shoulders thereof. The top tie member '7 is also formed of wirejor other substantially rigid material, and is similar in shape to the base tie member excepting that .the loops are 7 of smaller diameter and the intervening reverse curvesextend further toward' the axial point ther The diameter of the loops of the top tie member ,2 is governed by the diameter, of the bottle neck 'orshoulder at the point on'which the loop is, to

rest, which is the same whether. the supported bottle'is'in uprightpos'ition as. shown' in Figure .1. (bottle 'D) or in inverted positionas shown in 'iFigure.-2 (bottle E). .This'isfor the reason'that the diameter of the inverted 'bottl'e' E at "the point it rests upon theshoulders of the suppor'ting'bottles A, .B, C, is substantially the same-as the diameter of the'upright supported bottle D' at-its point of contact with the supporting bottles. The loops of the top tie member '2- are; accordingly in the same plane in both Figure 1 Figure 2. In neither type of stack, however, does .the weight of the supported bottle] (D or E); rest upon thetie member. It rests upon the shoulder .ofgeach of the three supporting bottles A, 13, 0, V

forming the foundation of the stack. j r

' This is explained by referring to Figure l,

where one-third of the weight of the supported shoulder. of the lower bottle C at a} or ac. Resolving this into vertical and horizontal components there a vertical-forceegual .tojone third of the weight of the-bottle acting down 7 ward on the line, 'ad, and a horizontal .component ab which equals, ad, times cotangent bad.

. exertedby the supporting table. that illustrated in Figure 6 around the supporting bottle D acts on point a of the; lower .bo'ttleC, butfin' a i'direotion normal to the curve of the r "2,100,035 Figure 14 is a sectional View on line l4|4 of Figure13 showing the configuration of the split or support. This is further prevented by use of the base tie member I" shownfin Figure 8.

The friction and the force ab form a couple which causes the bottle C to topple over outward fromtheupper bottle D. If the horizontal component ab is balanced'by an equal and opposite force the arrangement becomes :stable .since the verticaljcompcnent is balancediby the resistance A tie' 2 such as bottles A, B, C, at the horizontal plane which includes the'points a, and b will balance the forces tending to topple the supporting bottles and will make a stable arrangement providing the tie member isheld in that plane.

The tendency for any suchtie is to slip: up-

' wardly along the shoulders andneck of the supporting bottles.

This is prevented .by providing that the; axial distance between each of the reverse curves intervening the loops' is slightly less than theoutside diameter of the supportedibottle (D or E) at the point where itre'stsupon the sup 'portingibottles; In thisfway such reverse curves of the tie '2 are impinged'against the bottle surface, whether it be the side wall of the inverted bottle E or the base of the up'rightbottle 'D, at a point just below its point of contact with the supporting'bottlesn Thisprevents any upward movement of the tieVZ and keeps it in substan tially the same plane as such-points of contact between the supporting and supportedbottles.

The tie 2 shown infFigure 6 may, of course, be

' varied in form so long as the essential features previously pointed out are retained. For example, I particularly for use in stacks such asthat shown in Figure 1, the tie means shown inFigures 15, 16. 17, and '18, provide the means for balancing the'fo'rces tendingto slide or topplethe supporting bottles and preventing upwardslipping of the tie. Tie means such asjthoseshown in Figures 15,16, 17, and 18 also provide the'addition'al;advantage that, Ijb'ec'ause they comprise only straightjlines connecting their points of contact with'th'e. bottles AIB, C, on which the outward p ressure i s'being exerted, theymay be j made offie'xible material (such as cord).

Figure 10' i11ustrat'es some of the various ways.

of combining the stacks'illustrated inFi'gures'l and 2; The diametenor thickness of the tie me'millustrating details.

'bers l,v 2. is shown enlarged for the purpose of Describingthe arrangementfrom thele'ft hand side, there is first shown the combination shown in' Figure, ,1, with thebase'bottleB in thefrear of the'stack.

V The second stack of the same design .is then combined with the first byrusing inffco'mmon with its two supportingbottlesjB, C, the right hand bottle 5 C .of "the first-stack, which thus becomes bottle A in the second group. V

A stack. of the'same 'desig'nas thatshownin stack similar to that shown .in .Figurel fbylusing' in commonwiththe two supportingbottles B;LC

Figure- 2 with .base bottle B in the 1rear, of the j r I stack .is t'hen' shown, likewise combined with, a

A second stack of .the 'same design as; that x shown ,in Figure, 2;;is then. shown attachedtothe 5 third: and similarjstylestack, using the :right hand bottle: C zof the .latter :in common with its two supporting bottlesf 5B,. C'ito v form th'e' newzstack;

Where stacks' such as thatshown in .;Figure 2" for the friction fbetweenithe base of the table, are usedthey may be.Jurtherzadded to by stand .735

ing an additional bottle F upright on the invertedsupported bottle E, as shown in Figure 10.

' All of the bottles in the foundation stacks may in like manner be used in common with added bottles as the foundation for further additional stacks, and the upright bottles supported by the foundations may in turn be tied together in groups of three by use of the tie means 2 in the same manner as shown in Figure 1. When so tied they may, in turn, be used for foundations for additional bottles to be superimposed thereupon in like manner to bottles D ME in Figures -1 and 2, so that a great many combinations and designs may be made by use of my invention.

Where stacks such as those shown in Figures 1 and 2 are used as separate units in constructing a display, the tie members I, 2 may be of cylindrical or similar construction, as shown in Figures '7 and 9. Where one of the bottles of the foundation group or stack is used in common with another stack, as shown in Figure 10, if the thickness or diameter of the tie material is appreciable the use of two ties on the same bottle will tend to force one or the other out of its proper plane.

Any such difiiculty maybe eliminated by shap- 7 ing the loop material of the tie members in semicylindrical form in the manner shown in Figures 11., 12, 13, and 14. The first tie used may then be placed with the flat surface of the loop facing upwardly, and when one of the bottles in such stack is used. as a common corner bottle for another stack the tie member of the second stack is placed upon such common corner bottle and over the tie already thereon with the flat surface of the loop facing downwardly. Thus the two ties in combination will form the same thickness or diameter as the full portion of the tie intermediate the loops. This use of the split loops is illustrated in Figure 10.

It is also desirable in some instances to use a label 3 on the stacks, which may be formed and secured to the top tie member 2 in the manner shown in Figures 6 and 7.

It is to be noted that in the explanation of my invention for convenience I have used as an illustration the foundation unit or stack of three bottles. Its uses are not limited to the three-bottle stack, as a larger number of bottles may be used in the foundation by providing additional loops in the tying means, and so long as the distance separating the diagonally opposite supporting bottles at their point of contact with the supported bottle isnot increased in excess of the outside diameter of the supported bottle at its point of contact with them.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a means for tying bottles together for stacking purposes, comprising a band of wire or similar material formed into a plurality of outwardly extending loops each substantially defining a semi-circle, said loops being in such spaced relationship that the extended arcs thereof do not overlap. j

2. In a means for tying bottles together for stacking purposes, comprising a band of wire or similar material formed into a plurality of outwardly extending loops each substantiallydefining a semi-circle, said loops being in such spaced relationship that the extended arcs thereof do not overlap, and the body of that portion of said band comprised in the loop elements being half the height of the portions intermediate said loop elements.

3. In a means for tying bottles together for stacking purposes, comprising a band of wire orv similar material formed into a plurality of outwardly extending loops each substantially defining a semi-circle, said loops being in such spaced relationship that the extended arcs thereof do not overlap, and the body of that portion of said band comprised in the loop elements being of semi-cylindrical configuration.

ANSON A. MERRICK. 

